Small business

A small business, sometimes called a mom and pop store by some in the United States, is a business that is privately owned and operated. They have a small number of employees and do not sell many things. Whether or not the law says that a business is "small" is different in different countries and industries.

• The Australian Fair Work Act 2009 says that a small business is a business with less than 15 employees.
• In the European Union, to be called "small", a business must have fewer than 50 employees.[1]
• In the United States, a business must have fewer than 500 employees to qualify for some Small Business Administration programs.^[1]
• In India businesses with fewer than ten employees are in the "Unorganised sector".

Small businesses are common in many countries. Some examples include: convenience stores, other small shops (such as a bakery), hairdressers, tradesmen, lawyers, accountants, restaurants, guest houses, photographers, small-scale manufacturing, and online business, such as web design and programming.

1. ↑ Small Business Administration. Size Standards Archived 2010-12-16 at the Wayback Machine. See Summary of Size Standards by Industry Archived 2011-03-19 at the Wayback Machine.